A chef with a garden of his own; Relishing summer’s bounty at Hotel Fauchere
MILFORD, PA — For years, chefs have been championing the local foods movement, buying from local farmers who provide fresh, top-quality ingredients. But how many chefs have their very own garden to work with? Chef Christopher Bates at Milford’s Hotel Fauchère does, and he says it makes all the difference. Read more
Email this pageThe Catskills: Centuries of artistic expression ...and still going strong
During the summer of ‘69, I stuck out my thumb and hitched a ride from the Finger Lakes to Bethel, NY, in search of a music festival that like-minded hippies were flocking to—Woodstock. Little did we know that history was in the making, but by the time I arrived, the story had already begun to unfold and at this point, that tale has been told in books, films and songs that echo the sound of a generation and still inspire musicians and artists around the world. Read more
Agritourism blossoms in Sullivan County; Local farms schedule summertime tours
Sean Zigmund and Cheyenne Miller are already deep into the 2013 spring and summer growing season, rising at dawn and working till dusk and still never quite finishing all that needs to be done. But offered the choice, they wouldn’t want to have any other job.
On a beautiful spring Sunday, I visited their farm, Root n’ Roost Farm (www.rootnroost.com) in White Sulphur Springs, NY. While Sean was busy working, Cheyenne kindly gave me a tour of their two-and-a-half-acre farm, complete with chickens, pigs, veggies and more. Read more
A jewel of the Catskills: The Neversink Unique Area
The Neversink Unique Area, otherwise known as the Neversink Gorge, is a 5,466-acre tract of land encompassing the Neversink River Gorge and surrounding upland forest in the towns of Thompson and Forestburgh in Sullivan County, NY.
Administered by the New York State Department of Envrionmental Conservation (NYSDEC), this designated Unique Area first came into being in 1981, when the first 2,805-acre tract of land was acquired. Read more
On the path of history; Touring along the D&H Canal
Whether you’re looking for scenic beauty, or perhaps you want to learn more about how our region was developed in times gone by, why not take a weekend and follow the trail of the old Delaware and Hudson (D&H) Canal? You’ll be exploring the remnants of our country’s early industrial and transportation history—the story of how, early in the 19th century, two clever entrepreneurs, the Wurts brothers, were able to bring Pennsylvania’s black gold—anthracite coal—to New York City. Read more
Loving the Lackwaxen; Tribute to a tributary
Voted River of the Year in 2010 by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Lackawaxen River is known far and wide as a spectacular freestone mountain fishery. The Lackawaxen was made famous by the well-known western novelist Zane Grey. Grey spent much of his time out west, but it was in the village of Lackawaxen, where the Delaware and Lackawaxen Rivers converge, that he spent his recreational time. It was here that he penned the famous “Lord of Lackawaxen Creek,” written for the May 1909 issue of Outing magazine. Read more
Managing the Lackawaxen River; For electricity and recreation
As my kayak hits the Lackawaxen and Delaware Rivers each spring, I am reminded of nature’s beauty and why I love living in this region of northeast Pennsylvania. Each time my boat passes a bald eagle nest or a screeching great blue heron, I appreciate the opportunity to recreate in such peaceful waters. Read more
History converges at Ten Mile River; Remembering an ‘army’ that planted trees
There is a very good chance that, if you live in the Upper Delaware River region, you have conservation in your bones. We love the seasonal changes, the outdoors and the open spaces, and we realize what a treasure Mother Nature has given us. Read more
A modern homestead in Welcome Lake
It was a cold and blustery March morning, and as I made fresh tire tracks through the light dusting of snow, I saw a mink dart across the driveway and under a rock along one of the three ponds at the Augusta Acres homestead in Welcome Lake, PA. It was too cold for the sap to be running yet, but the plastic tubes and hundreds of buckets lining the way to the house were ready for the sap to flow as soon as the temperature rose above freezing. In the distance, a small flock of ducks waddled along the bank of the frozen pond as if also wondering whether the ice would melt soon. Read more
Not your great-great-grandfather’s river; How times have changed
We think of the Delaware and its tributaries as the locale of some of the very best trout fishing in the east, but the area and its angling would be unrecognizable to its earliest anglers. Even though the region remains relatively unpopulated, the river has been transformed by a series of man-made events. And although the angling is now perhaps better than it has been in many years (the 2012 trout season, because of an unusually mild and dry winter, will be remembered as legendary), it is far different from what it had been before settlement by Europeans. Read more
Healthy waters, healthy fish; Biodiversity is the key
Freshwater makes up about 2.5% of the water on the Earth. This water is recycled through the hydrologic cycle and is the same water that our ancestors used when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Our bodies are 98% water. All life is intricately connected and dependent on this finite amount of freshwater.
Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within and between species and of ecosystems. Read more
(Not so) secret spots; Finding a favorite spot
The idea and possession of a “secret spot” has been an integral part of the fisherman’s lore since the first hook was tossed in the water. All anglers have at one time found themselves in a special place, devoid of other humans but plentiful with their finned quarry. Read more
Reading the Upper Delaware River; Fish where the Fish are
The beginning fly fisherman can sometimes become overwhelmed with all the information available on the sport from casting, to entomology, to how to read a stream. All of these elements can be broken down into simple and easy-to-learn parts that will make your days on the water enjoyable and productive. Read more
Food Traditions - Jewish
Some people don’t have warm and fuzzy feelings about the holidays. Some people aren’t religious. My father is the first one and I am the latter. Now that the holiday season is approaching, what am I to do? As a daughter of a dad who is from a Jewish family, a mom from a Unitarian Universalist family and I not identifying with either, when I just want to enjoy some of the traditional foods associated with Hanukah? Answer: create my own “holiday.”
And that’s exactly what I did. Read more
Food Traditions - Italian
A smile comes to my face as I remember past Christmases spent with my Italian family. We were lucky to have everyone—my grandparents, aunts and uncles as well as cousins from both sides—come together for the joyous occasion of Christmas Eve. Read more
Food Traditions - German
Christmas is my favorite time of year. I really look forward to baking Christmas cookies again. Here at our bakery when we make stollen* or other traditional German holiday specialties like macaroons, the sweet aroma takes me right back to my childhood and my great-grandmother’s kitchen. Read more
Oh, Christmas Tree
There’s nothing like a holiday to remind us of the passing of time. And there’s nothing like a tradition to remind us of family. Read more
Home for the Holidays
In all of my 22 years of living three miles outside of Narrowsburg I must humbly confess that I had never stepped foot inside the Delaware Valley Art Alliance’s Signature Gifts shop on Main Street. Recently, when I paid them a visit, I saw what a fool I had been. Read more
Nothing Here is Made in China
One day not long ago, I wandered into a cute little gift shop in Hawley, PA full of one-of-a-kind artworks. Each piece here has been created by a local artist or artisan. The shop, named The Art Market, located in the Silk Mill, 8 Silk Mill Drive in Hawley, is run by the Wayne County Arts Alliance (WCAA) as a place for the organization’s members to show and sell their works. While you’d expect to find paintings and sculpture here (and you will), the shop also is full of hand-crafted holiday gifts in a wide range of prices. Read more
Step Back In Time - Canal Towne Emporium
For those who have yet to discover Christmas at the Canal Towne Emporium in Wurtsboro, NY, this year looks to be bigger and brighter than ever before. Proprietors Gary and Lyman Holmes have gone above and beyond to bring shoppers a holiday experience that harkens back to a simpler era, keeping a tradition alive that began with their great-great-grandfather in 1869 and has flourished over the course of four generations. Read more
